Ghost Rider: Spirit of Vengeance

Here's a behind-the-scenes featurette focusing on Nicolas Cage's performance as both Ghost Rider and Johnny Blaze.

John Carter

Here's an overview of the movie, including some new footage.

Oblivion

Game of Thrones actor Nikolaj Coster-Waldau has reportedly been cast in Tron Legacy director Joseph Kosinski's post-apocalyptic sci-fi movie, in which Tom Cruise plays the last human living on the Earth's surface. Coster-Waldau's character is reportedly Sykes, "a battle-hardened, physically imposing, intelligent and extremely athletic military technology and weapons expert." He joins a cast also includes Olga Kurylenko, Andrea Riseborough, and Morgan Freeman. [Deadline]

Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter

The Europa Report

A viral website has launched for this low budget movie starring District 9's Sharlto Copley. Here's a key excerpt from the site that hints at the film's plot:

"For decades, scientists have theorized the existence of liquid water oceans on Jupiter's moon, Europa. We've recently discovered new, captivating evidence that these sub-surface oceans do exist and could support life. We've sent six astronauts from space programs throughout the world on a three year journey to Europa to explore its oceans and confirm these findings. We're proud to be at the forefront of the effort to prove the existence of extra-terrestrial life within our solar system, within our lifetimes."

"The tone of the movie is soap operatic. It's heightened. Everything is heightened and grand. Johnny is just dug in and big. [Starts hamming it up] 'Didn't you see? How... could you? My god, woman!' There's an absurdist element to it. It's very funny. I don't think people are expecting it to be as funny as it is. It's PG-13, so there's not gore, there are no hardcore scares, but there's some crazy Barnabas vampire shit in this movie that will surprise people in terms of its ferocity."

Beast

We've known that Guillermo del Toro has been developing a Beauty and the Beast adaptation with Harry Potter star Emma Watson for awhile, and del Toro has now reportedly decided to direct the movie instead of just produce. It will be his next film after Pacific Rim, and he will be working from a script by Bridget Jones's Diary writer Andrew Davies. [Variety]

Beauty and the Beast

You might think that last item would be the end of the Beauty and the Beast news, but then you'd be ignoring the recent cinematic trend that demands every vaguely recognizable fairy tale have multiple, dueling adaptations, each of various shades of grittiness. This one is being headed up by Silent Hill director Christophe Gans, and will star Vincent Cassel and Lea Seydoux. Here's how Gans described his project:

"Although I will keep to a form of storytelling of this timeless fairy tale that is in keeping with the same pace and characters as the original, I will surprise the audience by creating a completely new visual universe never experienced before and produce images of an unparalleled quality. Every single one of my movies has presented me with a challenge, but this one is, by far, the most exciting and rewarding."

G.I. Joe: Retaliation

Director Joseph Chu confirms the Cobra Commander that appears in his movie isn't the same character as the one portrayed by Joseph Gordon-Levitt in the first movie:

No. [Smiling] But we figured out a way that's pretty nice. And you get the Cobra Commander that you've always wanted. Or, to me, what I always wanted: a bad-ass villain. He's one of the most iconic villains ever.

Was that one of your first commands as director? "Cobra Commander has to look like Cobra Commander."
Yeah, definitely, no doubt. That and no lips on Snake Eyes. And no laser guns. And as much real, physical stunts as we can. I don't want to shoot on a green screen. Of course we had to do some green screen, but, for the most part, we got to shoot a lot of practical stunts.

He also says the first movie was more like the old G.I. Joe cartoon, while his movie is more like the comic book. There's more at the link. [Moviefone]

Doctor Who

There's a good roundup of everything that's known about series seven here, and it also includes three "things that are rumored to be true." While I'd advise taking any Doctor Who rumor with an extra-skeptical grain of salt — this show is unparalleled for its ability to attract crazy, patently false rumors — here are the three items. The second is probably the most important:

- The Doctor's next companion will not be from Earth.
- Amy Pond will die and Rory will live.
- The Ice Warriors will return in the episode that Mark Gatiss has written.

Like I said, I wouldn't put too much stock in that until we hear something more substantial, particularly since the new series has repeatedly teased the deaths of companions - Rose in "Army of Ghosts"/"Doomsday" is probably the most obvious comparison here - and it never turns out to be quite true. [Life, Doctor Who, and Combom]

Saul Metzstein, who directed River Song actress Alex Kingston in one episode of the recent Upstairs Downstairs revival, is the first officially confirmed director for series seven. [ATV Today]

True Blood

Spartacus actor Peter Mensah, whose sci-fi credits include Avatar and The Sarah Connor Chronicles, has reportedly been cast as the vampire Kibwe, the Chancellor for the Authority. [True Blood]

The Walking Dead

Here's a promo and a sneak peek for next Sunday's episode, "Triggerfinger."

Comics creator Robert Kirkman discusses the rest of the season and gives a brief update on season three:

There's a few mile posts here and there that we'll be touching on and seeing pieces of. The whole season was meant to be one piece and it kind of lulls you into a sense of security and then blows you out of the water, so now we're getting into the blow it up out of the water part. I can say that Sophia coming out of the barn and all the tension from that are just the beginning of an escalation that will bring us to the end of the season, so every episode is going to get bigger and crazier as we continue on.

How far along are you in the process of writing and shooting for the show right now?
The next part of the season is completely done, we finished filming that in November. We're currently nearing the end of the third week in the writer's room on Season Three. If I can tease a little bit of Season Three, it's even crazier.

"Once you get a taste of that No. 1 position, it's a real hard thing to give up. It's an incredibly intoxicating position to be in as a man. I think what's so beautiful about Shane is he kind of adopts this new world order. He's realizing that there's actually no laws in this world. And he's kind of becoming this creature of the zombie apocalypse where he can shut down all emotions. But the tragedy of his character is he realizes that's an impossible task. He's probably the most emotional character on the show. So he's tricking himself. It's just such a great role to play."

The River

Here's the synopsis for episode five, "Peaches", which airs February 28:

THE MAGUS CREW COME TO FIND OUT THAT NOT EVERYTHING IS WHAT IT SEEMS DEEP IN THE BOIUNA ON THEIR TREK TO FIND EMMET COLE, ON ABC'S "THE RIVER" "Peaches" - The Magus crew are run aground by another vessel, and soon learn that the seemingly welcoming crew members of a ship claiming to have come to their rescue have in fact a very different agenda, causing a dire, life-and-death situation. The crew also make a shocking discovery that will leave one of them in tears.

Alcatraz

Here's a short description for episode eight, "Clarence Montgomery", which airs February 27:

Once Upon a Time

Here's a promo for this Sunday's episode, "What Happened to Frederick."

Grey's Anatomy actress Jessica Capshaw says she wants a guest spot as a princess on the show, and star Ginnifer Goodwin has already tweeted the show's official feed saying "we need to make this happen!" So, that's a thing that could possibly occur. [@ginnygoodwin]

Mockingbird Lane

NBC has reportedly decided to delay production on Pushing Daises creator Bryan Fuller's Munsters reboot, which takes it out of contention for the fall 2012 schedule and potentially positions it as a midseason replacement. The decision was reportedly made to give the project "more time to fine-tune key elements." [Variety]

Being Human (UK)

Here's the promo for this Sunday's third episode, "The Graveyard Shift."

Being Human (US)

Episode ten is reportedly called "Dream Reaper" and will air on March 19, while the next week's episode eleven is reportedly called "Don't Fear the Scott." [SpoilerTV]

Star Wars: The Clone Wars

Here's a sneak peek at Darth Maul's return in the show's season finale this March from what really, really appeared to be certain death in The Phantom Menace. There's a bit more info at the link. [EW]

The Vampire Diaries

Here's a promo for this Thursday's episode, "All My Children."

Lost Girl

According to actor Kris Holden-Reid, Dyson won't "get his mojo back" until at least season three. [SpoilerTV]

Tron Uprising

"What's happened is that Tron has been badly injured by villainous Clu, but he has found a protege, a brilliant young mechanic, who is another program like himself, named Beck and voiced by Elijah Wood, who TRON decides he is going to train to be the next TRON."